Honda and Nissan confirm collaboration on hardware and software

Honda and Nissan have confirmed their first collaborative efforts after their planned merger fell apart in March 2025, just four months after agreeing to tie the knot.

In a statement released overnight, the two Japanese automakers said they will work together on core electronic control units (ECUs) and software for a new Electrical/Electronic (E/E) architecture that will underpin their next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

The software components Honda and Nissan will collaborate on include the in-car operating system, vehicle control software and "key parts" of the middleware. The first jointly developed software-defined vehicles won't appear until the financial year that ends in March 2030.

By working together the two companies hope to reduce development costs, improve economies of scale, speed up the pace of research and development, and "accelerate innovation".

Although neither Honda nor Nissan provided details about the types of drivetrains and technologies their new SDVs will support, the companies were keen to point out they will "continue to explore opportunities for collaboration" in order to "accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality and help realise a future with zero traffic fatalities".

They also noted SDVs are the key to "vehicle intelligence and electrification", which are important areas for their collaboration.

A typical modern vehicle has many ECUs, each responsible for controlling different aspects, such as the powertrain, brakes, telematics, transmission, batteries and infotainment. Most SDVs, including those from Honda and Nissan, prefer to have just a few ECUs that are more powerful and responsible for multiple related functions.

Done correctly, not only does such a setup reduce physical complexity and the amount of wiring required, but also makes it easier to integrate advanced infotainment systems and driver assistance technology.

There might be more collaboration announcements on the way too, with Honda and Nissan vowing to continue to "explore opportunities" and "deepen collaboration".

Today's announcement confirms two out of the three items in a report from Nikkei Asia in July. The one piece missing from that report is word on future joint model development.

According to the business publication, the two automakers are considering working together on models for the North American market, likely larger vehicles that would be mainly sold in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Middle East. 

Cars that fall into that category include the Honda Pilot, Passport, Odyssey and Ridgeline, as well as the Nissan Pathfinder, Murano and Frontier. There are also a clutch of models from Acura and Infiniti, such as the MDX and QX60, respectively.  

An earlier report from Nikkei Asia indicated Nissan could also supply Honda and Mitsubishi with pickup trucks from its underutilised factory in Canton, Mississippi, which currently produces the Frontier.

Nissan will soon supply a version of the Frontier to Mitsubishi to bolster its American lineup.

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